QHow do I bring more peace into my life?
aA passage in Secrets of Heaven suggests, “Peace holds within itself trust in the Lord, the trust that He governs all things and provides all things, and that He leads toward an end that is good. When a person believes these things about Him he is at peace” (8455). In short: more God, less you! (See the answer to number 2.)
QWhat is the root of fear and worry?
aMore you, less God! “For those who trust in the Divine, everything is moving toward an everlasting state of happiness—and whatever happens to them at any time contributes to that state” (Secrets of Heaven 8478). The more focused we are on manufacturing the answer to life’s challenges rather than learning reliance on the Lord, the less peace we’ll feel. The despair we face when we “hit the wall” trying to do it ourselves is actually a mechanism for spiritual change. It is as if the Lord can then say: “Thank you! I’ve been waiting for you to say that!”
QThe Bible says not to worry, but I have real concerns about my future. How can I manage my life and not worry?
aThe Lord gave you two capacities to develop in this regard: your own discernment and your trust in Providence. “Divine providence is universal because it attends to the slightest details. It is an infinite and eternal creation that the Lord has provided by creating the universe. We see nothing of this universal providence, and if we did see it, it would look to our sight like the scattered piles and random heaps that passers-by see when a house is being built. The Lord, though, sees a magnificent palace constantly under construction and constantly being enlarged.” (Divine Providence 302) The connection between Providence and prudence is that we put things in piles, and we need to. It’s part of the Divine Design that we have autonomy to choose God and cooperate with Him. Over time, the more we grow spiritually, the more we are comforted by an awareness that the Lord sees the “house” of our spiritual lives.
QHow do I overcome my fears?
aI love sharing Psalm 27: “The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?” Once we accept that He is always there on the inside, no matter what’s happening outside, we can believe He will keep us safe in our hearts.
QWhat does it mean to ‘live in the present’?
aWhen we live knowing the Lord’s life is the source of our own, we don’t need to think so much about the future. We can trust the Lord to use anything we go through—bad or good—to build our spiritual character. This is Divine Providence: how God uses our living belief in Him to “govern us away from us” and toward Him.
QI’m going through hard times. How do I keep from falling apart when life does not change for the better?
a1st Corinthians 15:58 sums up how “living belief” can strengthen us: “Therefore, my beloved [brothers and sisters], be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” Stay hopeful and useful, trusting in the Lord.